This invention relates to planters in general and more particularly relates to planter apparatus and a method of plant care which assures that the planting medium is well irrigated without subjecting the plant roots to over irrigation and/or insufficient irrigation.
The instant invention concerns a type of planter in which there is an inner container for soil, an outer container wherein the inner container is disposed, a space constituting a basin between bottom walls of the inner and outer containers and the bottom wall of the inner container being apertured to permit water to drain into the basin from the inner container. Prior art constructions of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,097 issued Mar. 11, 1980 to W. J. Smith for Horticultural Improvements and U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,540 issued June 22, 1982 to R. P. Allen for Combined Plant Container and Watering Device.
A serious problem encountered when utilizing prior art planters of this type is that even though the soil appears to be moist and watering occurs at regular relatively short intervals, because water flows naturally along paths of least resistance (so-called "short circuit effect"), certain portions of the soil are not moistened. That is, each time watering takes place the water takes the same favored paths in draining from top to bottom and these paths "short circuit" or bypass certain areas of the soil. When the prior art has sought to overcome the "short circuit effect" the results have been expensive structures and/or procedures that are cumbersome, and more often than not resulted in overwatering or failed to eliminate sour soil and/or excessive salt buildup so that leaf tips and margins turned yellow or brown, plants rotted at or above soil level, leaves dropped, leaves and/or petals became spotted or completely discolored, leaves curled or otherwise distorted, and/or leaves or stems wilted.